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Building a Backhoe ?'s

L

Lou from Wi.

Well-known Member
Well another question/project possibility.How many of you people have built a backhoe digger,I.E. Ubuilditplans? Thinking about building one to use around the homestead,footings for new building removing stumps, drain lines electric lines etc.Instead of renting one every time the need hits.Rental fee's and hauling charges sure get into the pocket book in a hurry.We do good welding and assembly,we're not stangers to machinery and rebuilding processes.Would like your input.Would like plans for a towable unit,nothing that attaches to tractors.Backhoes,etc.Self contained actually, able to pull itself along.Thanks for any helpful information,
Reguards,
Victor
 
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If you look around. Good used and even new units can be purchased cheaper than building it yourself.
There is a lot of engineering into pivot points, ram sizing,structural stress etc.
 
We have a 3 point backhoe that isn't worth 500 dollars. You might find one of these close to you and make the rest, Motor wheels etc. would sure be easier.
 
You'd have to rent one an awful lot for it to be worth considering building your own. If you want to dig stumps out, you need a decent backhoe. You can get backhoes that tow behind a vehicle. Princess Auto in Canada has them. By the time you purchased all the hydraulics, an engine, the steel and everything else to build one, you'd spend more than buying a new one or a good used self propelled one. Like was said, there's a lot of engineering in a backhoe. I have Cat designed and built backhoe on my track loader and still managed to rip the top swing mount out of it. Any homemade hoes I've seen were very crude looking and I doubt would work anywhere near as good a factory made one. What would be a better project would be to make boom with a reverse bucket and cylinder to fit your skid steer. There's pictures of them on the internet. Dave
 
Haven't built one myself, but a co-worker did a few years back. Bought the plans from ubuildit or Cadplans or one of those outfits. Came out pretty well and he's used it a lot. I own a Trencherman tow-behind, sold by Northern Tool, though other places make similar ones. Bought it used for $2000 and it's paid for itself many times over. It's not a Cat 235, but it didn't cost what one of those do either!
 
I Think it could be done if you oould get a set of prints..Actually sounds like an interesting project.

Practical?? not a chance.

The hard part would be the pivots. Stacked plate perhaps??

Just thinnin'.

Brad
 
LITTLE MY A$$. Not even considered in the musical end spectrum as TINY TIM
LOU. Tiptoeing through the tulips is not what I'm use to tip toeing through (like the information I get from you )lol HUGE LOUIE.
 
We looked at em on Northern tool and thought we could do it cheaper. May be wrong. Buying steel a little at a time, and parts a little at a time would be of great benefit in the financial aspect .Hard to come up with that kind of out lay right at the present time. Sure would be fun to Build it (another Father Son Project) to keep my old mind working. Thanks for the reply
LOU
 
Dave I see what you mean , however comming up with the cash isn'r something we can do now, If we bought a used one, was wondering what the added expense would be to bring it back in line for lasting a life time for us. You know us, and how we do things, Need em top chair so when we need em they wont fail us. Thanks LOU.
 
Brad. Thanks for your post. Interesting indeed. Something like a Backhoe/loader wouldnt be used much, so doing one ourselves would give us a small unit for what we mentioned in our original post, Water line, drain line Electric line, Footings ect. Internet shows one At www.cadplans.com shows one #821 as interesting. We could mfg that easily. We have part of it already done .2 wheel dolly. (old car dolly) .
Means we have a running start on the towing aspect, even have a good 10hp engine B&Straton and some square tubing Heavy1/4/". Just wondered if any of you guys did one, and how it worked out for you? Seriouslu considering it while I'M still kickn. Reguards LOU.
 
Thanks Vic. Were looking into that area. Come spring we sure would be able to use a small hand built unit. . Thanks for the reply.LOU
 
From our searches , we found a lot of em wayyYyy more expensive then we can manage,plus they seem to be worn down to a frazzle. leaks, Bad Hyd,worn out pivot, engines failing etc.$6.000.00-$15,000/00..Would take additional amount of extra cash to bring it back to what we consider servicable. Thats the main reason to build one.
Thanks for the reply .LOU
 
I made this one from scrach 7-8 years or so ago. No plans, just started drawing, moved on to some scale modeing, then started welding. Most of the hyd were new, the controls came from an old fork lift I robbed parts off of in the scrap yard. Had about 300 in it (mostly hyd). It could dig 10 foot deep. Dug may a hole with it. Only down side was it was mounted to the tractor. On and off (more on than off) was a pain. When a friend of mine got an actual backhoe I sold it off for some stupid reason.
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Lou, I can't speak for you and what your needs are. But, I've used a few tow-around backhoes and for me - they are LESS then useless. A royal pain to get them in where you want them, and too light to do any real digging. They bounce way too much.

There are so many older, factory made hoes around, I can't imagine trying to build one from scatch.

International Harvester sold many that were mounted on the backs of trucks. They work OK, but not easy to get into tight places.

You already know of all the wheeled backhoes around.

I'm sure you also know about the many hoes on crawlers.

But, there are also the smaller, self-contained hoes on tracks like the Case "Mini-Sneaker" or a Ditchwitch. Very rugged, small, and digs like crazy. I suspect that's the sort of thing you are talking about. I've seen many sell fairly cheap. Many power companies use them to buy cables. They usually have a backhoe on one end, and a cable-trench-maker on the other.

By the way. Your OC4 would be perfect for a quick-attach hoe on the back. I've got one for mine.
 
Check out CADPLANS.COM Neat stuff on there and someday I would like to build a backhoe to mount on my skidsteer.
 
Don't know where you have been looking? I bought a newly new JD 10A with two buckets off ebay for under 5 grand. Complete with subframe which bolt to the tractor. Instead of the wobbly three point hitch mount. It will take a full scoop of blue clay with the 12" bucket.That's a real backhoe.
For a trailer towed toy sized backhoe? Lots cheaper than mine around but... Why use a under sized, under powered, underweight trailer rig? You must be digging in only sand?
 
Jde. Been looking at the ditch witchs on Fleebay & craigs list. Thought about em but It's the price, & condition that puts it out of reach. I believe you when you say the home built ones would shake a person to an early grave, something I don't need at this juncture lol. Now you went and done it, sure would go for a unit for the O.C 46. but was wondering what to drive the Hyds/ No pto on ours. When you have time pard, could you post a picture of the one you have mounted on your OC? if it would fit with out re-modifying our crawler, and where could we find one with out increasing OUR NATIONAL FAMILY'S DEBT. It would all be about location location location.Victor just reminded me, we don't have a three point either. Sure hope were not chasing a wil-o-the wisp. Hate shovels. had enough of digging with em since I was 12 years old ,on our family's sewer line in town. Blisters you wouldn't believe. NOT ANY MORE. Thanks for the reply. Reguards LOU .
 
When I mentioned a trailer-hoe bouncing - I mentioned that because it takes away from digging power. Not just because it also shakes the operator. You need a machine that's well anchored to dig well. That's also why hoes on crawlers tend to work nicer then does on wheel-tractors.

With your OC4, you tap the backhoe into your main hydraulics and front pump. You add in a simple push-pull diverter valve. That's common and used OEM on some backhoes. That's what my Ford 4000 came with new. It's also what my International 3414 hoe has.

As to a hitch, the best is the Oliver 0C4 rear tool-bar if you had one. Most crawlers were available with rear-tool bars for holding various types of attachements - or weights. My OC46 has it. If your's doesn't, you'd have to fabricate something. Not three point. Just something held with maybe four pins. I've got many photos of the original OC46 tool bar, hoe, etc. if you want me to post them.

I wish you were closer, I'd sell you an extra setup I have that is a pefect size for the OC4. It's a Allis Chalmers hoe with brackets to fit a Deere 350 crawler-dozer. The machine shop that made the setup did a real nice job. Those brackets could be easily adapted to your OC4.
I bought it years ago to stick on an HG or OC4, but now have no use for it.
 
Man, that is some nice fabrication work you did on that backhoe. All built from scratch! Nice job.
 
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